It can be very distressing if you have been accused of discrimination, bullying, harassment, or sexual harassment or disrespectful behaviour.
It’s good practice to listen and take time to reflect about the other person’s perception of your behaviour. Even if you feel that your behaviour was well-intentioned, your words or actions may have hurt or offended another person, and this may be thought of as an opportunity for learning, or perhaps for a change of approach.
- Listen carefully to the complaint or feedback and to the particular concerns expressed.
- Stop the behaviour that’s been complained about straight away; if you are deemed to have bullied or harassed somebody after their objection to your behaviour was made known to you, this will be seen as a more serious issue.
- You may need advice and support to understand the concerns raised: find a way to discuss the matter with someone you trust, such as a manager or cluster leader, or an HR Advisor to provide appropriate support.
- If you feel you are being unjustly accused, consider asking at HR Advisor if mediation might help. At IDS we use external trained mediators to lead supported discussions involving you, the person alleging ill-treatment. The mediator may enable you to discuss the issues and help you explore a way forward.
If the issue raised about you is investigated as part of a formal investigation. It’s important to be aware that IDS will not make assumptions and will not consider a person ‘at fault’ until an accusation has been investigated. All those involved in a complaint will be treated fairly and offered advice and support.
What happens when someone raises concerns about me?
When concerns are raised about a staff member, partner, contractor or student, there are specific procedures that will be followed.
For complaints made by a colleague about another colleague, IDS advocates trying local resolution in the first instance. However, if that is not successful or appropriate, colleagues can request resolution as part of IDS's new Resolution process. Further information can be found at: Resolution Process and Guidance Notes.
If you are the other person mentioned within the Request for Resolution or concerns have been raised about you, you will then be contacted and asked to engage with one of IDS's resolution pathways in good faith.
You might be asked to engage in one of a range of resolution pathways depending on the nature of the concern. These may include facilitated restorative conversations (by internal colleagues at IDS), mediation with an external mediator, conflict coaching, mentoring, team facilitation or team-building sessions, or more formal methods such as investigation.
Get Support
Staff who are worried about their behaviour can speak to:
- IDS's Employee Assistance Programme (EAP)
- A Respect Responder
- Their Trade Union representative - UCU or Unison
Students who are concerned about their behaviour can find support through the University of Sussex's student support services at the following link: Support for our student communities : University of Sussex